African savannas : global narratives & local knowledge of environmental change / edited by Thomas J. Bassett and Donald Crummey.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Bassett, Thomas J.

Crummey, Donald.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmental policy--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Environmental policy.

Savanna ecology.

Land use.

Sub-Saharan Africa.

Land use--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Savanna ecology--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Physical Description:

xvii, 270 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford, James Currey ; Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, [2003]

Summary:

Images of degradation and chaos predominate many scholarly and popular conceptions of the African environment. This interdisciplinary collection uses collaborative research from the major savanna regions that stretch across Africa to challenge these notions. It argues that the interpretation of landscapes requires a consideration of the unique political and ecological practices in Africa. The image of environment and society in African savannas cultivated by this book is one of innovation, resilience, and spatial and temporal variability. It is an image that stresses the vitality and importance of local African knowledge for understanding environmental change. Accessibly written, this collection will appeal to general readers concerned about ecological issues in Africa. However, environmental policy makers, international aid donors, NGOs and grassroots activists will also find the book timely, pertinent, and useful.

Contents:

1 Contested Images, Contested Realities: Environment and Society in African Savannas / Thomas J. Bassett, Donald Crummey 1

Part 2 Longue Duree 31

2 Changing Land Use & Environmental Fluctuations in the African Savannas / Martin Williams 31

Part 3 Land Users & Landscapes 53

3 Fire in the Savanna: Environmental Change & Land Reform in Northern Cote d'Ivoire / Thomas J. Bassett, Zueli Koli Bi, Tiona Ouattara 53

4 Investing in Soil Quality: Farmer Responses to Land Scarcity in Southwestern Burkina Faso / Leslie C. Gray 72

5 Farmer Tree-Planting in Wallo, Ethiopia 1937-1997 / Donald Crummey, Alex Winter-Nelson 91

6 The Wild Vegetation Cover of Western Burkina Faso: Colonial Policy & Post-Colonial Development / Mahir Saul, Jean-Marie Ouadba, Ouetian Bognounou 121

Part 4 Pastoral Ecologies 161

7 Rethinking Interdisciplinary Paradigms & the Political Ecology of Pastoralism in East Africa / Peter D. Little 161

8 Ecological 'Crisis' & Resource Management Policy in Zimbabwe's Communal Lands / William A. Munro 178

Part 5 Policy, Producers & Resources 205

9 Littering the Landscape: Environmental Policy in Northeast Ethiopia / Dessalegn Rahmato 205

10 Social Differentiation, Farming Practices & Environmental Change in Mozambique / Merle L. Bowen, Arlindo Chilundo, Cesar A. Tique 225.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

085255429X

0852554249

0325071276

0325071284

OCLC:

51446045